Page 99 of Cruel Betrayal

There’d be no coming back from that. I’d lose the only family I’ve known since the others have already turned their backs on him to join the Lyndes. Even if they seemed friendly enough and willing to take me in. But that had to be just for show.

Tyson appears beside me, throwing an elbow into my ribs. “I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but you better rein it in. You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“There you are.” Noah steps in front of me, men flanking him on either side.

He looks at Tyson and gives a dismissive nod.

With a shrug, Tyson turns and hurries away before he can get dragged into whatever this is.

Noah looks at the other people near us, and they leave the locker room, the sounds of the screams outside getting louder before fading again when the doors shut.

I drink some water before grabbing the wrap for my hands. “Something I can do for you?”

Noah leans against a bank of lockers, nodding to his men who leave the room. “You could tell me what the fuck you think you were doing meeting with the entire Lynde family.”

“Humoring Jade.”

“Don’t give me that shit. I’m a lot of things, but I’m not an idiot.” Noah looks at me, his arms crossed. “You’re thinking about turning like the others have. I’m not surprised. You’ve never been able to have a mind of your own.”

“And you’re a sick fuck who uses everyone around you, but you don’t hear me complaining.” I wrap my hands, my gaze not breaking his.

It’s a silent challenge that could get me killed right here and now.

I don’t know what I’m doing.

I don’t think I’ve ever known what I was truly doing. I just go along with what he tells me to do, and I don’t take a single moment to think about what’s right or wrong. What’s going to benefit me or fuck up my life more.

Maybe it’s time I start spending a little more time thinking about that.

Noah chuckles. “Smart mouth.”

“Thanks.” I finish wrapping one hand, moving onto the other. “Is there something I can help you with, or did you just come here to try and intimidate me?”

He pushes off the lockers, stalking toward me. “We’re going to deal with the matter of your loyalty after this fight. But right now, your job is to go out there and kill the man standing across from you. And make it a good show. I have a lot of money riding on this fight.”

“I’m going to win the fight, and then after that we’re going to talk about me walking away from this shit.”

His eyes light up with malice as he stands in front of me like I’m a petulant child who needs a talking to. “You’re not walking away from shit. I’m owed something for all the hell you’ve put me through, lately.”

I finish wrapping the other hand. “You ruined my life a long time ago. And I’m done with it. Kill me, don’t kill me, I don’t care.”

Noah laughs. “Oh, poor boy, you sound like an angsty little shit again. Did your little girlfriend finally leave you? I’m not surprised. She was too good for you, even if she is a filthy fucking Lynde.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

He moves, but I’m quicker.

I shove him back into the lockers, the metal denting under the force of his body hitting them.

While he should be pissed, he’s laughing instead, smirking like this was exactly what he wanted.

The bastard is trying to get in my head before a fight.

He wants me to make a mistake.

He wants someone else to kill me so he doesn’t have to.

And I’m not naïve enough to think that has anything to do with the way he cares for me. I think he just doesn’t want to incite unrest around the rest of the Rinaldos.